The sky over Wuzhen hung low and heavy, as though the empire itself sensed a storm approaching.
Inside the Crown Prince's private council chamber, Yan Bingyun stood stiffly, bowing with utmost respect.
His usually calm expression was strained, his hands clutching several sealed scrolls—each marked with the crimson seal of the Imperial Treasury.
"Your Highness… these matters can no longer be delayed."
Crown Prince Murong Yunqing gestured for him to proceed.
Yan Bingyun stepped forward, placing the scrolls on the table.
When the Crown Prince broke the seal and began reading, his calm face slowly darkened.
"Missing funds… falsified ledgers… unrecorded export shipments…"
He looked up sharply.
"Explain."
Yan Bing Yun inhaled shakily.
"For several years, silver from the Imperial Treasury has been quietly transferred into private accounts under false names."
"Several crates of imperial goods—silk bolts, rare herbs, weapon-grade steel—have vanished without trace."
He handed in another report.
"And shipments recorded as 'sent to Northern Frontier during the war'…
I heard it never arrived.
Not a single grain bag.
Not a single weapon.
Not a single armor crate."
A deathly silence filled the room.
The Crown Prince immediately summoned Murong Yunxi, Murong Yexuan, and Duke Lin Changyu.
The Secret Council Convenes
When they arrived, Yan Bing Yun bowed again and repeated the findings.
Murong Yunxi's expression grew colder with each sentence.
Lin Changyu clenched his jaw, "If these funds have been redirected, someone must be preparing—"
"—something big behind, like a private army?" Murong Yunxi finished quietly.
The Crown Prince's eyes sharpened.
"Do you have names?"
Yan Bingyun shook his head slowly.
"The accounts were masked. Someone skilled… very skilled. But all the money flows originate from the same hand—Deputy Treasurer Que Qiwu."
A murmur spread across the table.
"And the Northern Frontier ration theft?" Murong Yexuan asked.
Yan Bing Yun bowed deeper.
"Not an isolated incident.It was part of a chain of corruption extending deeper than the Treasury."
Murong Yexuan's hands tightened into fists—yet the deeper the meeting progressed, the farther his mind strayed.
He stared at the flickering candle flame…
And all he could see was Rouyuan's unveiled face.
Her pale glow under lantern light.
Her soft pink dress.
Her shy smile when she bowed before the Empress.
Her calm reaction despite humiliation.
And worst of all—the memory of other men staring at her beauty.
His chest tightened with jealousy.
Murong Yunxi nudged him sharply under the table.
"Cousin."
"The Crown Prince asked you a question."
Yexuan jolted, posture snapping straight.
Crown Prince Murong Yunqing raised a brow.
"Yexuan… are you with us?"
Yexuan coughed lightly and bowed his head.
"Forgive me, Your Highness. I was… thinking."
'Thinking about a girl,' Murong Yunxi nearly said aloud, barely containing a sigh.
Everyone exchanged confused looks.
Prince Murong Yexuan was known throughout the empire for being cold-hearted, razor-focused—unshakable.
Now he was daydreaming.
The Crown Prince continued calmly, pretending not to notice.
Meanwhile…In Prince Murong Yuntai's Private Manor
When Prince Murong Yuntai heard Yan Bingyun had reported directly to the Crown Prince, he flew into a rage.
He summoned his core faction; Prime Minister Zhao Jinming, Liu Fanjian, Lu Pingping, dan Xue Qiwu.
They knelt before him in a hidden council chamber.
Murong Yuntai slammed the table so hard the teacups shattered.
"Why is the Treasury missing SO MUCH silver?!"
"I asked you to siphon a portion—not almost empty it like starving rats!"
Zhao Jinming lifted his hands defensively.
"I told Xue Qiwu to be discreet!"
"That idiot stole like he intended to build a second palace!"
Lu Pingping stammered, Xue Qiwu broke into cold sweat, and Liu Fanjian silently cursed them all.
Murong Yuntai's glare swept across them.
"The Crown Prince already knows of the treasury corruption."
"If he digs two more layers, he will find everything."
Everyone trembled.